


Still Alive

by theplushfrog



Category: Portal (Video Game), Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Alternate Universe, Complete, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-10
Updated: 2009-09-10
Packaged: 2017-11-13 23:51:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/509113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theplushfrog/pseuds/theplushfrog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The Refinement Center reminds you, that the Weighted Partner Cube will never threaten to stab you, and in fact, cannot speak."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still Alive

" **Hello and again, welcome to the Shibuya Science Reaper-Aided Refinement Center**."

Heavy eyes opened slowly, the drug-induced sleep still lingering like cotton between him and the rest of his senses. "…What?"

" **We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one. Your entry fee has been processed and we are now ready to begin the test proper**."

The orange-haired boy sat up, his mind struggling to catch up with the strange computerized voice buzzing through the speakers. "Wait. Hold on." He slurred his words slightly as he nearly fell off the plain cot. "What test? What's going on?"

" **Before we start, however, keep in mind that although fun and learning are the primary goals of all Refinement Center activities, serious injuries can occur. For your own safety and the safety of others, please refrain from** —" Static over came the speaker, the voice fragmenting into various different languages as it rebooted.

"Man, you can't do that! What shouldn't I do?" The boy's hand shot out and grabbed a nearby coffee mug and hurled it at the speaker, which was now rambling in other languages.

With a loud  _CRACK_  the mug hit, " **Please refrain from damaging the Refinement Center equipment Neku~** " A girlish giggle passed through the speakers before the strangely boyish voice went back to its more neutral tones, " **The Portal will open in 3, 2, 1. Excellent.** "

\--

" **Due to mandatory scheduled maintenance, the appropriate Chamber for this Day sequence is currently unavailable. It has been replaced with a** _ **live fire**_ **course designed for military androids**."

"WHAT?!"

The large print of sixteen flashed on the doorway as the chamber readied to be accessed.

" **The Refinement Center apologizes for the inconvenience and wishes you the best of luck**." A girlish giggle echoed the stark walls before the soft beep informed Neku that JOShUA had left him.

The door swished open and more than twenty bright red lasers pointed right at the orange-haired boy.

"I  _seeeee_  you little digit!"

"Come here you factoring hectopascal!"

"Attention ramen-raiding radians!"

"3.1415926535897!"

" _Fuck_." Neku said empathically.

\--

" **Good job android~** " Neku could practically  _see_  the wink in the boy's voice.

"Huff… huff… You're an utter… huff… and complete… huff…  _bastard_ , Josh." The teenaged boy gave the camera a certain hand gesture for emphasis.

" **The Refinement Center once again reminds you that Android Hell is a real place and you** _ **will**_ **be sent there at the first sign of defiance**." JOShUA ended this with yet another girlish chuckle as the elevator took him to the next chamber.

\--

" **The Vial Apparatus Hand will deliver a Weighted Partner Cube will arrive in 3, 2, 1**."  _CLUNK_. The large green cube toppled awkwardly from the shoot.

" **This Weighted Partner Cube will accompany you through the Day Chamber. Please take care of it**.

Neku stepped forward cautiously, so far everything in this ridiculous Game had been made to harm or maim him. He didn't quite believe the girly boy, who claimed to be named JOShUA, when he said that the cube wouldn't hurt him.

The springs attached to his heels took some getting used to, but he barely noticed them now as he crept closer to the giant cube. Extending a finger and prodding one of the cartoonish doodles on the side, Neku wasn't quite ready for the peppy girly voice that called out, "We can do this, Neku!"

Once he'd recovered, he of course had to get back at the giant (apparently talking) cube. "Your sides are covered in pigs."

The cube squirmed in a clunky metal way. "Mr. Mew is a cat!" The girly squeak of a voice insisted.

" **The symptoms commonly produced by Refinement Center tests include superstition, perceiving inanimate objects as alive, and hallucinations. The Refinement Center reminds you, that the Weighted Partner Cube will never threaten to stab you, and in fact, cannot speak**."

"You heard the prissy bitch, cube." Neku used his Portal pin to pick up the cube and hold it in front of him.

"I'm not a cube! I'm a girl! My name's Shiki!" The cube insisted, apparently ignoring the dings and pings of energy balls being bounced off her other side.

" **The Refinement Center reminds you that the Weighted Partner Cube cannot speak. In the event that the Weighted Partner Cube does speak, the Refinement Center urges you to disregard its advice**."

"Right. And I'm insane." Neku rolled his eyes, why did he bother… "Nice to meet you, piggy cube."

The huffy squeal of anger was so worth it in Neku's opinion.

\--

"Hey, I think there's a room back here." Neku peered through the pushed up wall.

Shiki clunked a bit, "Is that writing?"

Blue eyes narrowed and the boy tilted his head to get closer. "Hold on, I'll use a Portal." He used the pin to create a Portal into the room and hopped through.

"What's it say?" Shiki called from outside. Neku could almost see the girl she claimed to be. Soft eyes, perhaps glasses slipping down her face, a cute outfit designed by her friend (Eri cube…? Neku didn't ask) and sewn by her. She'd be one of those awkwardly lanky girls, but just cute enough to pull it off if she smiled a bit more… "Neku…?"

"Oh… right." Blue eyes slipped along the wall. "It seems like… a lot of bad poetry…it's written to…" The light smile that had crept onto his face instantly slipped off. "I… C'mon Shiki, let's finish the mission for the Day."

"Aw, please tell me?" Her giant sides wiggled a bit.

Neku shook his head. "Let's go." He didn't want to end up like that guy… A shudder ran down his thin frame.  _Insanity…It will take you if you stay here too long._

\--

" **Good job Neku~** " The prissy voice, once again came over the speakers, causing bright blue eyes to roll. " **The Weighted Partner Cube certainly brought you good luck. However, it cannot accompany you for the rest of the test and, unfortunately, must be Erased.** "

"What?!" Neku stared at the camera above them, "Erase her?"

Shiki beside him, for once, fell into a stunned silence.

" **Please escort your Weighted Partner Cube to the Shibuya Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator**."

A soft beep showed the end of JOShUA's speech, but Neku didn't move.

_Dammit… He's asking me to kill someone._  Neku's thoughts had been thrown into chaos.  _There's no way I can do that. But if I don't…_

"Neku…" Shiki—no, she—IT… It's just a cube. Not a person.

" **Rest assured that a independent panel of ethicists has absolved the Refinement Center, Shibuya Science Reapers, and all Players of any moral responsibility for the Partner Cube Erasure Process**."

"Don't, Neku. Don't kill me…"

"…I have to." Neku reached out one hand, using the Portal pin to carry the clunky green cube, which still claimed its name was Shiki, and that it wasn't a cube, to set it on the large, red button (a Fifteen-Megawatt Shibuya Science Super-Colliding Super Button, of course).

" **While it has been a faithful partner, the Partner Cube cannot accompany you through the rest of the test. If it could talk, and the Refinement Center takes this opportunity to remind you that it cannot, it would tell you to go on without it, because it would rather die in a fire than become a burden to you**." JOShUA informed him with another annoyingly prissy giggle.

The cube whimpered as the orange-suited boy returned from pushing the button for the incinerator. "Please… Don't kill me."

" **The Testing cannot continue until your Partner Cube has been incinerated. Although the Erasure Process is remarkably painful, eight out of ten Shibuya Science Engineers believe that the Partner Cube is most likely incapable of feeling much pain**."

Neku hesitated, but the pin still flared to life in his hand, lifting the cube. "I… have to." He murmured, carrying her—it to the open door and into the flames.

JOShUA's girlish giggle filled his ears, sounding mildly impressed for once, " **You Erased your faithful Partner Cube more quickly then any Player on record**." Another giggle before it continued in a darkly teasing tone. " ** _Congratulations_.** "

Neku stared at the closed incinerator for a long moment before continuing.

\--

The orange-haired and orange-suited boy ran through the corroded hallways, darting from pipe to pipe as he followed the strange arrows.

He could scarcely believe what was going on. He'd  _trusted_  that bastard machine and in return, it had nearly burned him alive.  _Fucking machines_.

The voice sounded far off, but surely that bastard was close by, in the form of cameras and machinery. " **Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said 'goodbye' and you were like '** _ **NO WAY**_ **' and then I was all 'we pretended we were going to murder you'… that was great**." JOShUA sighed in a darkly contented way.

There was no way he would be getting out of this without destroying the whole goddamn place.

Unwillingly, tears stung his eyes.

\--

" **Well, you found me. Congratulations. Was it worth it? Because despite your violent behavior, the only thing you've managed to break, so far, is my heart**.

" **Maybe you could just settle for that and we can call it a day. But I guess we both know that isn't going to happen. You chose this path, now I've got a** _ **surprise**_ **for you**.

" **Deploying** _ **surprise**_ **in 5, 4, 3** —"

_CLANK_. A round ball-sphere-thing rolled off from the platform where JOShUA was tangled into his machines. The grey-haired boy looked oddly concerned with the object, his hands moving to stroke his chin as he peered down at it. The thick black wires were connected to various parts of the 'boy', including several of these objects.

" **Time out for a second, that wasn't supposed to happen. Do you see that thing that fell out of me? What is that? That's not the** _ **surprise**_ **. I've never seen it before**." JOShUA's inhumanly violet eyes turned back on Neku. " **Nevermind, it's a mystery I'll solve later,** _ **by myself**_ **, because you'll be dead.** "

" **I wouldn't bother with that thing, my guess is that touching it will only make your life even worse,** _ **somehow**_ **.**

" **I don't want to tell you your business, but if it were me, I'd leave that thing alone**."

Neku crept towards the sphere, prodding at it and wondering.

" **Do you think I'm trying to trick you with reverse psychology? I mean, seriously, now**."

The sphere was mostly white, but had some interesting looking graffiti covering it. It looked rather cool really.

" **Okay fine! DO touch it. Pick it up and just stuff it back into me…Let's be honest, neither one of us knows what that thing does. Just put it in the corner and I'll deal with it later…** "

Neku glanced back up at the violet eyes that glared down.

" **That thing is probably some kind of raw sewage container, go ahead and rub your face all over it**." JOShUA sneered far above him.

JOShUA rolled those violet eyes, " **Maybe you should marry that thing, since you love it so much. Do you want to marry it?** " The pale 'boy' suddenly yelled out, " **WELL I WON'T LET YOU. How does that feel?** " He flashed Neku a smile that curled at the edges.

Neku just lifted one brow. "What are you on… seriously?"

JOShUA ignored him, his eyes shifting over to the sphere, " **Have I lied to you, I mean, in this room? Trust me, leave that thing alone.** "

Picking it up the sphere rolled its large eye and focused on him. "Yo, 'Phones." It addressed him in a low, but well-meaning tone.

" **Where are you taking that thing?** "

"Phones…? My name's Neku." He didn't know why he was talking to it. There was a metal shoot nearby that looked fairly familiar…  _Ah…Shiki_.

"Of course, 'Phones. Would you like some coffee?" The sphere-thing seemed very talkative for a … ball… sphere… thing…

"Uh, no thank you." He used the Portal pin to easily press the button on the panel that would open the metal shoot that led to the incinerator. From then it was easy enough to hop back through the Portal and pick back up the coffee-loving sphere.

"Seeya later, 'Phones." The sphere seemed extremely amicable for something that was being held over a burning pit. Neku spared it an apologetic shrug before letting go.

" **You're kidding me.** " JOShUA's purple eyes widened, then narrowed as his face twisted into a scowl. " **Did you just stick that Shibuya Science thing-we-don't-know-what-it-does into a Shibuya Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator. That has got to be the dumbest thing that—whoa, whoa, WHOA—** " JOShUA's whole body suddenly tilted sideways like a puppet cut from its strings.

The orange-haired boy smirked, than froze as a low and dangerous giggle filled the room.

" _ **Good news**_." Neku could only stare in horror. Grey hair was still draped awkwardly across his shoulders, but now violet eyes glinted through it as JOShUA's head turned in a fashion that made it  _extremely_  clear who was human, and who wasn't. " _ **I figured out what that thing that you just incinerated did. It was the morality core they installed after I flooded the Refinement Center with a deadly neurotoxin,**_ " A wild and sharp smile tore across the machine's face, " _ **To make me stop flooding the Refinement Center with a deadly neurotoxin. So get comfortable while I warm up the neurotoxin emitters**_."

"Aw fuck." Neku stared at the green gas flowing from the vents.

\--

Blue eyes opened, but the world spun 'round. Green, blues, whites, all shocked Neku's dull eyes, contrasted by the red explosions of fire and ash.

His sight flickered. Consciousness fading, his fingers tightened around a pale hand.

" **Why did you save me?** "

"Because, I still trust you."


End file.
